Love is an Art
by DancingFirex
Summary: After a bad break up with her boyfriend, Caroline decided to start over and focus on her work. Just when she thought she was done with boys, she met Niklaus who will turn her world upside down. A cute little tale about a once in a lifetime romance. [All human]
1. Take me back to the start

**Chapter 1: Take me back to the start**

_**Author Note:**_

_Before starting reading please take a minute to read this note so you can understand it better._

_First of all, vampires or any type of magic does not exist in this world. I will write another fanfiction that will include magic but not for now. I already planned the entire story so do not worry, I know where I am going with this! And finally, English is not my first language so I am sorry if I make some mistakes from time to time._

_Without further due, here's my story!_

•••

_"__Nobody said it was easy,_

_it's such a shame for us to part._

_Nobody said it was easy,_

_no one ever said it would be this hard._

_Oh, **take me back to the start**"_

_"The Scientist" - Coldplay_

•••

"_We're done."_

Her words were still echoing in her head as drove home. Two years of building a relationship and it all ended in a few seconds. She was still holding back her tears and she did not know how much longer she could act like it was nothing. She finally arrived at her apartment, got out of the car and rushed to go inside. As she waited for the elevator to come she hoped that Elena and Bonnie were not home. Since graduation, they all decided to live together in an apartment near the college where they go. It was a little hard sometimes but she never regretted moving in with her high school best friends. But today was different. She just wanted to run in her bedroom and let all her emotions out. She wanted to cry and be angry at him. But the last thing she wanted was to run into one of her best friend and having to tell the whole story of what happened. Talking about it would not fix it; it would make her feel worse. Nothing could actually fix her and Tyler anymore.

She turned the key in the lock of the front door of the apartment and tried to make as little noise as she can. No one was in the living room and no lights were on. She let out a little sight and took off her coat and shoes. She slowly walked to her room, closed the door and crashed on her bed.

"_We're done."_

This time she did not hold it back. She started crying, burying her face in her pillow. Suddenly everything came rushing to the surface. All the good moments, the love they had,… She stayed there for a few minutes, feeling sadder than ever. But she then started to think about what led to the break up. All this time when he tried to control her life, decide what was good and bad for her, even when he was on the verge of being violent. Her mood shifted from sad to angry. Because, yes, in the end she was mostly angry at him. All she has been the perfect girlfriend to him. She was loving, and sweet and even though they were not in the same college and did not see each other a lot she stayed faithful. Then why was did he need to have so much control over her life? She confronted him about this but she never got a real answer. That is when she decided she was done with him. No more second chances.

She got up from her bed and walked to her desk. She looked at the picture of her and Tyler. She looked happy on them. She could not deny that they were happy at some point. High school was a good period for them. She was the cute cheerleader and he was on the football team, everyone knew that they were the perfect match. Well, apparently they were not. She tore the photo into million pieces. She did the same to all the other pictures. Pictures of Prom, graduation, summer vacation,… everything. She could not stand looking at them anymore. Anger grew in her heart and she started to throw everything that was on her desk away. Papers, pens, everything went flying and on the floor. She even hit her lamp that broke, causing a big sound. She did not like that lamp anyway, she convinced herself. She then headed to her closet where she threw all the clothes that he bought her on the floor. She stopped for a second and watched her room, completely messy. She was out of breath and felt like crying again, but this time she was not angry at him but angry at herself. She never should have trusted him or cared for him. She was angry at herself for loving her even though he was not deserving of her love anymore.

"Is something wrong?" asked Elena when she entered Caroline's room.

She must have been awakened by the sound of the lamp breaking. Caroline was standing in the middle of her room, everything broken on the floor, with her puffy because of crying. She knew that she could not lie at this point and pretend that she was ok.

"Tyler and I broke up tonight." She said trying to sound as emotionless as possible.

"Oh my God, are you ok? What happened?" Elena asked as she walked to Caroline. They both sat on her bed, looking at each other for a long time before Caroline finally talked.

"He was being super controlling again. I confronted him about it, told him I was not ok with that. We got into a big argument which ended up by me saying that we were done." Her voice was soft and low as she told her story. She was surprised by her self-control as she did not cried or even felt the urge to cry.

"I'm sorry." Elena said as she hugged Caroline tightly.

"Well, I'm not." Caroline replied as she pulled out from the hug.

"What do you mean?"

"He was a jerk to me for the last six month. I'm better off without him." As she finally put in words her emotions, Caroline found back her self-confidence and started to smile a little.

"Then why did you do… that?" She asked as she showed her the room.

"Yeah… I was angry." She said on a humoristic tone. It was true but she preferred to laugh about it now that she was calm. Both of the girl laughed.

"Ok, then let me help you clean everything up!" Elena proposed with a big smile.

"No, don't worry. I'll do it, go back to sleep."

Elena hugged Caroline one last time before leaving the room. Caroline sat on her bed for a minute thinking. She was grateful for having a best friend like Elena. Even though she did not wanted to talk about her break up, Elena's smile and hugs helped her to feel a lot better. She knew that she was here for her but Elena really knew how to turn Caroline's day around.

She finally got up and started cleaning. Most of the things she threw on the floor were memories of her relationship with Tyler. It sounded normal to threw everything away and never look back on them. Tyler was the first guy she ever loved. But now she knew that he was not going to be the last.

As she cleaned up some papers she found something she had not seen in a while. It was note book her mother gave her when she was 10 or 11. At this time she wanted to be a writer. Her mother gave her the cutest note book ever to encourage her to realize her dream. Unfortunately she never fulfilled this dream. Lack of time? Of motivation? Maybe both. High school totally transformed her into a different person. She used to be quiet and shy. But when high school came around she ended up being friend with all of the "popular" guys and girls so she eventually became popular too. She started to act shallow, stopped focusing on school and writing to focus on boys and cheerleading. A part of her wanted to be this shy girl again.

She looked through the notebook to discover some of the stories she use to write. Of course, it was not extremely good. She was only 10 when she wrote them, but it made her so happy to go back to that period of time where she dreamed of her prince charming. Nobody ever told her that it was just illusions; she found it the hard way.

She spent hours looking back to a time where she was just an innocent girl. Some tears ran through her cheeks as she realized that this time was gone and was never coming back. Then she decided that she was done feeling sorry for herself. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and open up her notebook to a new clean page.

"_We're done."_

The words echoed one last time in her head. This time she knew it was for the best. She wanted a fresh start, a new beginning. A new page to write her story on.

•••

_**Author note:**_

_This chapter is pretty short but it's more of a prologue than an actual chapter._

_I hope you liked it, and if you did please leave a review, follow and favorite my story. Feedback is the best motivation in the world._

_**Next chapter:**__ Caroline will meet a guy… named Niklaus ;)_


	2. Begin again

**Chapter 2: Begin again**

•••

_"But on a Wednesday,_

_at a café,_

_I watched it **begin again**."_

_"Begin Again" – Taylor Swift_

•••

When she woke up that morning, Caroline felt good. She felt inexplicably good, and she was going to enjoy it. She got out of bed and walked to the kitchen where Elena and Bonnie were already making breakfast.

"Hey, are you in the mood for pancakes?" Elena asked with a big smile.

"_Burned_ pancakes, to be exact." Bonnie rectified with a soft laugh.

"Don't criticize her wonderful pancakes! They're just a little… tanned!" Caroline said as she walked to the table and sat down. All the girls sat down with Caroline and started to eat.

"You're in a good mood." Bonnie noticed.

"Oh, don't act like I'm never in a good mood!" Caroline replied on a humoristic tone.

"No, I mean, Elena told me what happened and I expected you to be…"

"A mess? Feeling so sad I could not smile for one second?"

Bonnie did not dare to answer. She was very sorry for her friend and wanted to make sure she was not acting like everything was fine if it was not true. Breaking up is never easy but breaking up with someone you have been for two years… She could not imagine.

"I was sad yesterday. But I realized I broke up with him because I think I'll be happier without him. And I want to." Caroline explained.

"And you're right. There are so many guys out there just waiting for you!" Elena said with a big smile.

"Actually, I want to take a break. No more boys for me." Caroline said very seriously

"Are you saying you want to be a lesbian?" Bonnie asked a bit confused.

"No! I meant, I want to stop dating for a little while. I want to focus on my studies."

"Wow, Caroline, that's so… unlikely of you!" Elena said shocked.

"I know, I know. But I think that's for the best." Caroline replied with a smile.

"Well then, if you want to focus on your studies you should hurry up because classes starts in 15 minutes!"

On these words, Caroline finished her pancakes and got back to her room to get dressed. It was a bit hot outside so she decided to wear one of her favorite flower printed dress. She knew Tyler was not in her college so she did not have to show how happy and moved on she was but she still wanted to look happy.

A few minutes later she was already out dressed and ready to go. She left her down, falling on her shoulders in soft waves. Elena and Bonnie were ready too. The trio got out of the apartment and to classes. Caroline could not stop smiling. She wanted a new, fresh start for a long time now and she finally got it. She could start again, have a new beginning. As she walked to class, she felt really proud of her on the way she handled her break up. She expected to be completely wrecked but she was actually the opposite. And she was determined to keep her promise to herself: no more boys for the rest of the year, only work.

•••

When classes ended, Caroline normally walked back home. But today was different. She decided to go to the library to write. She was determined to write something. She said goodbye to her friends and walked to the library. She realized that she never actually went to the library before. Caroline tried to find herself a spot where she could work. She finally sat down at a table a little bit isolated. She wanted privacy and did not want to run into people she knew and get distracted. She took her notebook and a pen out of her bag and started to think about what she could write.

She used to love writing novels. Romance novel to be precise. But right now she did not feel like writing about love. She sat there for a long time, trying to find something to write, but the inspiration never came.

At 6 pm she decided to leave. She was disappointed. But she did not lost hope and knew that she was going to go to the library everyday and try to work, she was not giving up yet.

•••

Days after days Caroline became a perfect student. She was listening and taking notes in classes, doing her homework and never missed class. And even though it sounded weird, Caroline loved it. She always was the kind of girl who did not care about classes. She used to go to school only to see her friend, go to cheerleader practice and over all enjoy her popularity. Now she was finally realizing how studying can be important. She did not know what she wanted to do with her life yet. And this terrified her. She hoped that being a good student this year might help her to discover what she really wanted to do. She considered a lot of things. But she never considered being a writer anymore.

She still spent all of her afternoons in the library, starring at a blank page. And unfortunately, she was starting to lose motivations. She was thinking that it was stupid of her to want to write again, now that she did not have any inspiration. Maybe her time as a writer was over.

She began to observe people working. She imagined what they were studying, why... And then she started to imagine what their story was. Finally she started to write short stories about people she saw. Some were desperate students who wanted to please their parents with good grades; others were only in the library to spend time with their secret crush… She was still far from writing a novel but she liked writing short stories. It was a beginning.

Every day she hoped to see new faces so she could write new stories. Most students went to the library just once in a while so she always saw new people. There was only one person she noticed who was there every time. It was a man, a few years older than her who always went to the same table in the back, really isolated. He had dark blond curly hair and piercing blue eyes. She tried to write something about him for days now but she never could find a good story. Unlike the other students, he did not come to the library to read or write. He was drawing. It took her a little while to realize it and it completely changed her idea of him. She wondered what he was drawing with so much passion. One time or two, their eyes found each other but they never dared to talk to each other.

One day, she noticed that he was not there. She did not care a lot and still tried to think what his background story could be. She thought a lot but nothing was good enough to write it on her notebook.

"Trouble finding inspiration?" A male voice asked her with a cute accent.

She turned around wondering who was talking to her and saw the mystery guy standing behind her. She stared back at the blank piece of paper in front of her then back to him.

"Yeah it looks like it…" She replied, meeting his blue eyes.

They looked at each other for a few seconds before he pulled out the chair next to her and sat on hit.

"I know how much it sucks, trust me." He said with a smile.

"Can't draw anymore?" She asked without thinking.

"How do you know I draw?" He asked a little confused.

Caroline blushed instantly realizing how this sounded like. She tried to find a way out of this situation, trying to not sound like a creepy stalker.

"I'm… a very observer." She said, still blushing more than ever.

"Don't be embarrassed, love." He said with a soft voice. "So… you're a writer?"

"I try to."

"What do you write about?"

"Well…" She said hesitantly. She did not want to sound weirder than she already felt like she did. "I… I'd like to write a novel. But I can't seem to find something to write about." She said a little sad. "So I just write stories about people I see. I just… imagine what their life's are." She said with a shy smile.

"Really? That's creative." He said with a smile.

Caroline sighed in relief, she was glad he did not think it was too weird.

"So you write about anyone?" He asked a bit curious. She nodded. "Did you write something about me?" He asked with a smirk.

Caroline felt her cheeks turned even redder than they already were. "Hum… No…" She said looking away from him. She tried to find a way to change the conversation. "So you draw… What do you usually draw?" She asked casually.

"Anything." He replied easily. "Everything." He added.

Their eyes met again. This time, Caroline let her thought get lost in his deep blue eyes. She forgot all about not dating anyone for the rest of the year, she forgot about Tyler, she forgot about everything. All she knew was how hypnotizing he was. He was one giant mystery to her. And even though she should not, she liked it.

She broke eye contact to look at her phone. It was already 6:15 pm, she had to go. She let out a deep breath.

"I have to go. It was nice meeting you." She said with a smile while putting all of her stuff in her bag. As she was starting to walk away she realized something. She turned away and looked at him one last time. "By the way, I'm Caroline." She said with a big smile.

"I'm Niklaus." He said, giving her one of his beautiful smiles.

She stayed there for a few seconds before snapping back to reality. She turned around and walked away.

On her way home she thought a lot. Now that she was not with him she realized that she should not be intrigued by him. She remembered the promise she made to herself. She could not let her guard down yet. He was nice and he seemed interested in her work but that is all she could allow herself… _for now_.

•••

_**Author note:**_

_Thank you so much for all the amazing feedback I got. I did not think I was going to update so soon but… It's all thanks to you!_

_I hope you liked it, and if you did please leave a review, follow and favorite my story. Feedback is the best motivation in the world._

_**Next chapter:**__ This new relationship is growing more and more… ;)_


	3. It's much too quiet in here

**Chapter 3: It's much too quiet in here**

•••

_We're both last to be leaving  
I know what you're thinking  
I wish you'd make your move  
__**It's much too quiet in here**_

"_Quiet" – Demi Lovato_

•••

"Coffee?" She heard a familiar voice ask. Caroline turned her head in the direction the voice came and flashed a big smile. Klaus was walking to her table with two coffees in his hands. He sat down next to her and handed her one of the cup.

"You're my life saver right now!" She replied taking the coffee and drinking a little sip of it.

Caroline and Klaus talked more and more every day. They took the habit to seat at the same table, a little isolated from everyone. At first they talked mainly about work and the college but days after days they started to share more of their personal life. Caroline still did not know much about Klaus's family and his background but he was really open about his drawings and paintings. He promised he would show her all the painting he ever did which are exposed in his house. Even though she would love to see them, Caroline did not want to start to see him out of college. She made a promise to herself and she was going to respect it.

"So, how's your novel?" He asked curiously.

"It's a work in progress…" She responded trying to stay as vague as possible.

"Will I ever be able to read it?" He tried.

"Maybe…" She answered on the same tone. She was happy he was so open about his work but she was not ready to share what she wrote just yet. She finally found a little inspiration to write a story but she did not feel confident enough about it to show it.

"You know… I won't criticize it. I'm just curious." He said with a cute smile. She lifted her head up to meet his beautiful blue eyes. His smile, his eyes, the way he talked to her… Just before she was about to give in she broke eye contact.

"I know. But I'm not ready to show it yet." Her eyes returning to her note book.

"You're such a mystery sometimes…" He said, talking to himself.

"Says the guy who does not talk about his past at all." She said sarcastically.

"It's totally different." He said trying to defend himself but keeping a touch of humor.

"No it's not." She snapped back.

"Whatever…" He said pretending to be annoyed.

They stayed, enjoying the silence for a little while. It was nearly 8 pm and the library was completely empty. They were use to stay late together. Neither of them liked big crowds so they were actually feeling a lot better in the empty library. Caroline loved the library. Her apartment was nice but since Elena and Bonnie were always out, meeting people and going to parties she usually ended up being alone.

A few more minutes passed until Klaus made a move.

"Ok, enough work for today!" He said as he took Caroline's book from her hands.

"Hey!" She protested. "Give it back!" She added as they got up, trying to take it back from his hands. Klaus being a lot taller than her, her fight was useless. She jumped, tried to push him but nothing worked.

"Are you having fun?" She asked ironically as she stopped trying to get her note book.

"A lot." He said laughing. "So, what's your story about…" He started when he opened the book at a random page. Caroline did not wait another second and tried everything to get her book before he could read anything. He started to walk away from her to make it harder for her to stop him from reading.

"Seriously! Stop it!" She yelled at him half serious. She did not want him to read but she would not get extremely mad if he did. She just wanted to build up his curiosity a little. At her words, Klaus closed the book still holding it up so she could not reach it.

"I'll give it back at one condition." He said with a smirk.

Caroline was standing in front of him, waiting for his condition, not expecting anything in particular. She noticed that Klaus was taking his time to think of a good condition which worried her.

"I'll give it back… if you dance with me."

Out of everything he could have thought about he decided to make her dance. Caroline stayed in shock for a few seconds. She then flashed him a big smile and laughed softly.

"Ok, if that's what you want!"

Klaus grabbed his phone and chose a song to play. He finally chose one that was slow enough so that they could slow dance. He gave her his hand that she grabbed softly.

She easily found her place in his arms. She had one arm on his shoulder and the other was still holding his hand. She felt shivers go through her body as he placed his free hand on the small of her back.

They started to sway to the music, softly.

"You're quite the dancer, love." He said in a low voice.

"I was Miss Mystic Falls, slow dancing had to be one of my qualities." She replied simply.

"I'm friend with Miss Mystic Falls… Wow, I did not know the chance I have!" He said with a chuckle.

"Don't laugh at me! It was really important to me back then." She said hitting him slowly in the shoulder.

"And what's important to you now?" He asked looking right into her eyes.

She lost herself again in the deep blue of his eyes. Sometimes she wondered why he had so much power over her when he looked at her like that. He never asked her a question so deep before and she had to admit that she did not even know the answer.

"Graduate college, I guess…" She started. "Find what I want to do with my life." She continued, never breaking eye contact.

"That's it?" He asked half curious, half disappointed she did not tell him much.

She though a long time before one last thing came to her mind. "Live an epic romance." She added in a voice so soft he barely heard her.

"That's a big one." He said as if he understood her. "I'm sure your boyfriend will make sure of that."

"Yeah…" She said breaking eye contact. "I'm not sure. My last relationship was a lot of things but it sure wasn't epic."

Klaus looked a little annoyed for a second. He could not understand how someone so lucky to have Caroline as his girlfriend could not treat her right. He wanted to tell her that she would have an epic romance if she gave him a chance but was not sure how she would respond.

They continued to dance softly, enjoying to be with each other. Caroline rested her hand on his chest, pulling him closer to her. She enjoyed the way they moved together and she wanted to be closer to him. She felt his arm grabbing her more tightly at the waist, like he never wanted t let go of her and she closed her eyes.

The music must have stop at some point but neither of them stopped dancing. They created their own little bubble and they intended to stay in it as long as they could.

Caroline decided to lift her head up to look at his eyes one more time. Her face was so close that she could feel his breath against her hot skin. For a second she considered kissing him. She looked at his lips and her mind wondered how they would feel against hers. Her imagination got the best of her and she bit her lower lips to come back to reality.

Everything was so quiet.

After what felt like an eternity Klaus was able to make a sentence.

"How would you feel about going on a date?" He asked.

Caroline was brought back to reality to quickly and she just stared at him like she did not understand the question. Her brain was screaming "no" and was telling her that she made promise to not date anyone for the rest of the year. But her hear was louder and it got the best of her.

"Yes, it could be nice." She managed to say.

"Wednesday, meet me here and I'll drive us?"

"Sure." She said with a smile.

He leaned in softly and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"'See you, love."

And he walked away, leaving Caroline with her thoughts.

•••

_**Author note:**_

_I'm so sorry, I was no able to upload before but between my finals and traveling a lot I did not get a second to write! Anyway, I'm sorry if there is a lot of mistakes but it's very late, I'm tired but I needed to upload now._

_I hope you liked it, and if you did please leave a review, follow and favorite my story. Feedback is the best motivation in the world._

_**Next chapter:**__ What will happen during the date? We'll know… ;)_


	4. I don't wanna fall in love

**Chapter 4: I don't wanna fall in love**

•••

Puttin' my defenses up  
'Cause **I don't wanna fall in love**  
If I ever did that  
I think I'd have a heart attack

"Heart attack" – Demi Lovato

•••

Caroline sighed as she finished writing her sentence. She looked at her alarm next to her bed and realized it was already very late. Disappointed that time flied so fast she closed her notebook and put it next on her nightstand. She did not know why but she finally got a lot of ideas for her story. A part of her thought it was maybe because of Klaus and his positive influence but the other part of her still refused to admit it just yet. It was true that Klaus had a great influence on her, telling her not give up and showing her his drawings but deep down she knew that there might be something more than that. And that what scared her.

She slowly pulled the covers over her body and fell on her bed after her exhausting day. Unfortunately she did not get much sleep this night. The next day she had a date with Klaus and she was a little bit nervous about it. She kept asking herself so many questions and one of them was if she was going to break her promise or not. Somehow she already did by accepting to go on a date but she kept convincing herself that it was a dinner between good friends and nothing more. But if it was just a dinner between friends, why was she so nervous? In the middle of all this questions she finally fell asleep.

•••

"Do you know anyone named Klaus?" asked Elena as she was holding a piece of paper in her hands.

"Hum… Yeah, why?" Caroline replied still half asleep.

"And is he a _really_ good friend of yours?" Elena said, emphasizing on the word "really", still looking intensely at the paper she held.

"What… What is that?" Caroline asked confused, trying to see what was on the paper Elena had.

After pretending to not want to give it to Caroline, Elena finally gave her the piece of paper with a smirk. Caroline's jaw fell as she watched one of the best drawings she ever saw. Not only was it beautiful but more importantly: it was a drawing of her. She could not believe how resembling it was. He did know her face pretty well. After looking at it for a little too much time she looked back at Elena.

"So… who is this Klaus?" She asked with a big smile that said it all.

"Hum… No one. I'm late, see you!" Caroline tried to find an excuse and ran out of the apartment with the paper.

"You know we're not done talking about him!" She heard Elena scream at her.

She laughed softly at her best friend's remark and made her way out of the building.

•••

Caroline's day went by like any other day. She showed up to class and tried to concentrate as much as she could. When the day ended she did not go to the library like she normally did but went straight home to get ready for her date. When she opened her apartment door she came face to face with Elena and Bonnie who looked like they were waiting for her.

"Crap…" Caroline said to herself as she closed the door behind her.

"Caroline. We need to have a serious girl talk, right now!" Bonnie said.

Caroline pulled out a chair next to where Elena was sitting and looked at the both of them, waiting for their questions.

"So, who's Klaus?" Bonnie said in a softer tone.

Caroline hesitated a little before deciding to tell the whole truth. "He's a guy I met at the library, he's very nice, and before you ask: we're just friends."

"Just friends, you say… That doesn't explain the drawing." Elena said.

"He likes to draw. I don't have more explanations about this." Caroline replied with a smile.

"Ok… But, please, next time tell us about your new friends before we find out on our mail." Elena said with a soft laugh.

"I promise. Now, if your interrogation is over, I have to get ready for ..." Caroline started but then realized that she did not mention anything about the date yet.

"For what?" Bonnie asked curiously.

"A… date." Caroline said in a low voice.

"A DATE?" Elena and Bonnie said at the same time.

"With who?" Elena asked right away. After a few seconds of silence, Caroline's friends understood. "Let me guess… Klaus?"

"Didn't you say that you were taking a break? That you weren't going to date anyone for a while?" Bonnie said confused.

"It's not a date like that…" Caroline started. "Ok, maybe it is a real date. But… I don't know, he asked me and I couldn't say no." Caroline confessed. "He's a good guy. He makes me feel safe and comfortable. I like him."

"Look at you! You're starting to fall in love!" Elena said with a big smile.

"No, I'm not. I can't right now. I'm just having a good time, that's it."

"Ok, if that's what makes you happy." Bonnie added.

Caroline hugged her friends and left to her room. As she walked to her closet she realized that she had no idea what to wear. As she tried to pick an outfit her phone rang. She took it out of her pocket and read the text she got.

_Change of plans, can I pick you up at 8pm? - Klaus_

She immediately answered that it was ok for her and went back to her closet.

•••

After a long time of preparation, Caroline felt ready. She decided to go for casual but really pretty blue dress that fitted her perfectly. She curled her hair in soft curls and did a natural make up. As she was putting on her black heels, the door bell rang. She rushed to put her shoes on and opened the door before her roommates could do it.

"Hello, love." Klaus said as she opened the door. "Are you ready?" He asked her.

"Yes, let's go!" Caroline said with a smile while grabbing her purse.

He placed a hand on the small of her back and guided her to his car.

"You look absolutely beautiful, love." He whispered to her as he placed a delicate kiss on her cheek.

Caroline automatically blushed and looked away for a second. Klaus opened the passenger door for her and she got into the car. They both took place into the car and Klaus started to drive. After a few seconds, Caroline's curiosity came in.

"So… Where are you taking me?" She asked innocently.

"Will you be mad if I say it's a surprise?" He replied with a smile.

"Yes. Very mad." She acted like she was mad before laughing.

The rest of the ride was pretty calm, just listening to the car's sound. Klaus did not give in any details about where they were going so Caroline stopped asking questions.

"I'm going to ask you to close your eyes now, love." He told her softly.

Caroline did not ask any questions and put her hands over her eyes. Of course she was dying to know where he was taking her but for once she was happy to be surprised. With Tyler there were not a lot of surprises. After 2 years of relationship they stopped trying to surprise each other and fell into some kind of routine.

Klaus guided her for a few minutes, making sure that she kept her eyes closed.

"You can open your eyes now." He said.

Caroline did as he said and discovered where he brought her. She expected a restaurant or some kind of "regular" first date place but she found herself in the library, where they spend most of their time together. But everything looked different. There were candles a little bit everywhere and it looked a lot more romantic than it did in a normal day. On a table she could see that he prepared some food. She walked into the library, stunned by everything he did for her.

"Please, say something… Do you like it?" He said a little worried.

"I… I love it!" She replied with a big smile.

They both walked to the table and took place face to face. Caroline looked at the wonderful food in front of her and could not help to wonder when he got time to do all this.

They both started to eat and talk. Caroline was starting to be an open book to him. She talked about high school, her last relationship and pretty much everything he asked about. Klaus, on the other hand, was still closed up. But with a bit of wine she got him to talk a little about his family and past. All she got from him was that he was from England but his entire family came to America when he was 8. She also learned that he had three brothers and a sister who lived somewhere in the country but he did not talk to them a lot. As much as she tried she did not get any explanation on why his family split up a few years ago. She decided that she would go step by step with him and considered all she learned tonight, enough for one day. Overall, their date went perfectly and she did not regret for one second accepting.

•••

"You're telling me you never travelled out of the country?" Klaus asked in shock as he was walking her to her apartment.

"No! Never!" She said laughing at his state of shock.

"I need to change that! When we're done with college, I'm taking you on a trip all around the word." He said as they stopped in front of her apartment door.

"Who says I would go with you?" She said with a smirk.

"I have a feeling you would…" He added.

Then he slowly leaned in until his face was only a few inches away from her face. Caroline looked into his eyes and knew what he wanted. She looked down at his lips then back to his eyes. For a second she was ready to close the distance between them but her brain screamed to her to think about her promise and to not get into another relationship too soon.

They stayed there for a few seconds before Caroline made her move. She slowly pressed a kiss on his cheek and took a step away from him.

"Thanks for the dinner and everything, it was great." She said softly.

She then opened her door and rushed into her apartment. She locked the door behind her and leaned on it for a moment.

"God, I'm so stupid." She whispered to herself.

She went to her bedroom and crashed on her bed. She did not know if she made a good or a bad decision tonight. She felt stupid and in control. Everything was a mess in her head. All she knew was that she was not ready for love yet.

•••

_**Author note:**_

_Happy? I keep changing little things as I go… but I'm sure it's for the best! Anyway thanks for all your support so far!_

_I hope you liked it, and if you did please leave a review, follow and favorite my story. Feedback is the best motivation in the world._

_**Next chapter:**__ Will Caroline give in… ;)_


	5. Fairy Tales

**Chapter 5: Fairy tales**

•••

This year, all but disappeared,  
bought into **fairy tales**,  
But sleeping beauty just  
kept score and tried to sleep more

« Kiss Quick » - Matt Nathanson

•••

The next morning, Caroline was feeling even worse than before she went to bed. She forgot that she was going to see him to day. She did not want to act like a stupid middle school girl and ignore him but she was anxious to see him. Their date went great and she had an amazing time but knowing that he was going to kiss her... A part of her was exited about this and was full of regret for not kissing him but the other part of her was scared to death.

She finally decided to just act like nothing happened after the date. After all, he might want to forget this part of the evening too. On that thought, the school bell rang, she took her bag and headed to the library.

She automaticly went to seat at "their" table and opened her note book. She started to write the continuation of her story, trying to calm her nerves. Her story was going well. She was surprised on how much inspiration she got since she became good friend with Klaus. He had a good influence on her. Time passes and Caroline was suprised when Klaus did not show up at his usual time. Was he nervous about seeing her too? Did he decide to ignore her? Tone of questions rushed to Caroline's brain. He was usually so confident, at least on the outside, that she never fully considered that he could be nervous and could decide to act like he didn't know her.

After about twenty minutes of waiting, Klaus finally came into the library, his eyes looking for Caroline. When her eyes met his, she sighted in relief. She closed her note book and flashed him a big smile.

"I was starting to worry you'd never show up!" She said when he arrived to her table.

"Come on, I would never miss one of our meetings." He said with a smile. Caroline was starting to relax. He was acting totally normaly, that was a good sign. "You playing hard to get after only one date is not going to stop me from seeing you as a friend." He added with a devilish grin.

"Oh god..." Caroline thought to herself. She felt her face become hotter and she could guess that she was turning bright red.

"I'm just joking." He said when he saw how uncomfortable she looked.

"Yeah... So... Why are you so late?" She asked trying to change the subject.

"The teacher was talking to some of the students about our final task. No big deal."

"Ok..." Caroline said softly. She opened her note book again and started playing with a strand of her hair.

After a long silence Klaus finally said something.

"So, when's our next date?"

Caroline felt uncomfortable for a moment until she found back her confidence. "Who told you there will be a next date?"

"I had a great time and so did you. I don't see why there won't be another one."

"Maybe I don't want us to be more than friends just yet." She said lifting her eyes up from her note book and meeting his beautiful blue eyes. She did not believe she said this sentence with so much and control and calm.

"But maybe I do." He said leaning over the table to completly face her.

"Than we have a problem." She added leaning a little closer.

They spent a few seconds, looking into each other's eyes until Caroline finally broke eye contact and fell back into her chair.

"That's the end of that conversation." Caroline said going back to her note book.

"For now." He said so softly that he was not sure she heard it.

•••

Caroline was playing with her slice of pizza before Elena brought her back to reality.

"Earth to Caroline! Are you even listening?" She said a little annoyed but concerned.

"Yeah... Sure, go on. What was his name again?" Caroline said not even looking at her friends.

"Are you alright?" Bonnie asked.

"Yes, I guess... I've just been thinking a lot lately." Caroline replied finally looking away from her plate. She knew her friends will want an explanation sooner or later so she decided to start talking. "It's about Klaus. I told you our date went great, and that's true. But what I did not tell you is that we had a moment just before I came home. I thought he was going to kiss me so I freaked out and run away, kind of."

"Really?! How did he react?" Elena asked.

"I thought he was going to act like it never happened but instead he joked about it. He's been pretty flirty with me and, don't get me wrong, I kind of like it." Caroline made a pause. "But it confuses me a lot."

"Let me make it easy on you: do you like him?" Bonnie asked very clearly.

Caroline took a second to think about her answer. At first she was going to say that she only appreciated him as a friend but she couldn't deny the part of her that cared for him more than just like a friend. "I think I do. I mean, I only met the guy a few weeks ago. But I thing I do have some kind of feelings for him." She said trying to be honest.

"So that's easy! Go up to him, ask for another date and see where that takes you." Bonnie said with a proud smile, like she solve a problem.

"It's not that easy."

"What? Is it about Tyler? Do you still like him?" Elena said soflty, grabbing her best friend's hand in support. She knew what it was like to go through a rough break up with someone you've been for a long time.

"Eww! No! He's not the problem at all. I mean, not really. I just promised myself I would focus on myself for once. I want to have a career and be proud of myself before jumping into another relationship."

"I get it." Elena said calmly. "But... Love should unfold naturally. If it's here, now, just take it."

"You make a point." Elena was not saying something Caroline did not already knew but it still felt good to hear it from someone else.

"And if it doesn't work out, at least you won't regret it." Bonnie added.

It was clear that her friends wanted her to be happy and apparently Klaus made her happy. The three girls finished their pizza and talked about other stuff to try to distract Caroline but she could not help but think about what they said and how true it was.

•••

"Seriously!" Caroline screamed in annoyance.

"Calm down, we'll find another table." Klaus said with a little smile, amused by Caroline's reaction to such a little thing.

"But that's our table! Why can't they go somewhere else?" She said, ready to go kick them out of their corner.

"Why can't we?" He replyied trying to be as calm as possible.

Caroline sighed. He was right. But she hated being wrong. "I'm not going at another table, it's here or nowhere." She said.

Klaus could not help it but laugh a little. He knew she was not serious about it and that she just hated being wrong but he decided to play along. "Ok, then follow me." Klaus said casually and took Caroline's hand, heading out of the library.

"Where are we going?" Caroline asked following him. She shivered a little at the contact of his hand in hers but she got use to it after a few seconds. When Klaus did not respond Caroline sighed. "Not another surprise, pleeease tell me."

At her words, Klaus stopped and Caroline almost bumped into him. "Do you trust me?" Klaus asked a little bit to seriously. Caroline only nodded in respons. "Then you won't mind not knowing until we're there." He said with a smile. He softly brushed a strand of hair away from Caroline's face, lightly brushing her cheek.

Their moment was cut short when Klaus started walking again, walking toward the exit of the building.

A few minutes later, they were in Klaus's car, heading to a mysterious place. Caroline realized that she indeed really trusted him. She felt safe with him and she knew he would never hurt her. She did not know how or why she felt that way but she did.

About ten minutes later Klaus got out of the car followed by Caroline. They were in parked in front of a luxurious house surouded by a big forest.

Caroline could not help but wonder. "Is that your house?"

"Yes." He replied. He took Caroline's hand again and looked into her eyes. "But I did not bring you here to see my house."

Caroline felt a little confused for a second befpre realizing he was taking her to the garden. She followed him, looking around, admiring the beauty of the landscape.

"That's... beautiful." She said softly.

"Yes it is. I always go outside when I need inspiration. I feel like nature always help me to paint. Maybe it can help you to write."

They walked a little more until they found a good spot to sit and go back to drawing and writting. They did not talk much but exchanges many looks.

At some point Caroline forgot that she was suppose to write. She kept looking around at the beauty of nature and at Klaus. The gardens, the sun setting,... Everything was perfect. She was looking into Klaus's eyes of for a little while now and she knew what he was thinking about. And she decided she had to do something. She pushed her note book out of her lap and swiftly moved toward Klaus to put a small kiss on his lips. It was soft and simple. She just needed to do it because it was what they both wanted at this particular moment.

Klaus was a little bit taken by surprised. He stared back at her after she pulled away, trying to find an explanation in her eyes. They were still only a few inches away from each other and a small move could close the distance between them. Caroline did not want to move anymore. She faced her fear now it was his time to make a move. And just like he read her mind, Klaus closed the distance between them. She felt his soft lips against hers again. This time for a longer time. They were warm and the more he kissed her the more she wanted to kiss him. He was intoxicating her somehow. The kiss grew a bit more intense. She placed her hand in his hair, playing with his curls and he placed his arms around her waist, keeping them steady.

Caroline pulled away for a few seconds to come up for air. They were both breathless, staring at each other, scared to move and break this moment.

After a few seconds which felt like hours Klaus spoke. "I should have brought you here on the first date, we would have gain some time." He joked.

"Shut up." She said with a laugh and pressed her lips against his again.

For the first time since she met him, all her worries disapeared. And it was about time.

•••

_**Author note:**_

_I guess writting during the summer is harder than thought. I'll try to write more during the school year but I can't promise you anything._

_Also, I'm kind of getting bored of this story... I want to change the way I write and I have another story in my mind that I'm dying to write. I'm trying to convince myself to finish this one before starting a new one but I want to write because I love it and not because I feel forced to do it. I might put this story on hold for a while. Tell me what you think, your opinion is very important to me!_

_I hope you liked it, and if you did please leave a review, follow and favorite my story. Feedback is the best motivation in the world._

_**Next chapter:**__ The beginning of a big romance... ;)_


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